Lincoln Loud's Eleven Commitments in the Loud House
by The 21st Century Pendragon
Summary: As a brother to ten sisters, I have to play a vital role in keeping everyone intact. Yes, it is hard but in the end, I do it because I love them as family. So, in the tradition of "ABCs of Getting the Last Slice", here is how I commit myself here in the Loud house.
1. Chapter 1

It is another road trip for the Louds. (And this time, it is not a _Sweet Spot_ scenario.) Everyone is packing but our focus is on Lincoln, as he always relays the events to us, the readers.

"On a Saturday morning, it is all quiet on Royal Falls, Michigan. But it is war here in the Loud House. Well, for a family composing of two parents, ten sisters and one boy, every day is like going through a battlefield like that opening scene in _Saving Private Ryan_. Especially for last-minute vacation preparations. If you were me, Lincoln Loud here got his things prepared the night before vacation."

Lincoln then puts down his bag to his bed and unpacks each of his belongings to emphasize his point.

"Let's see. We got here my _Ace Savvy_ comics Vol. 1-14, an almanac for pro comic book fans, an extra shirt, extra undies, emergency earbuds (in case the noise is too revolting), my beloved laptop and of course, a nougat bar. Of course, this simple duty of packing is not as hard as how my sisters are doing."

Lincoln then opens the door in his room to see the sisters at their usual ruckus, even just in packing their stuff. Lori and Leni are arguing outside what outfits to bring or not, Luna is just tuning up to a guitar riff under the theme of "packing for a trip", Luan is busy dodging whatever surprise novelties she forgot to detect in her room, Lynn is pulling a bag of balls, Lucy is moving around and perfecting her poems, Lana and Lola are throwing stuff at each other since they might share bags, Lisa is inspecting her experiments if they will last during her absence and Lily is being Lily – walking around naked without a diaper. He then closes the door and rests back at his bed, not before checking his watch.

"Okay, it is an hour before the trip. And all I can do is sit back and wait, while reading a good comics," Lincoln says as he relaxed deeply. But his relaxation turns to a stop when Lynn busts through his door.

"Lincoln. Training partner right?" Lynn calls him out.

At quick nervousness, Lincoln says, "Yeah…Lynn, what's up?"

"Need help." Lynn says as she drags her only brother to her room. As she pulls him to her room, Lincoln trips on her ball bag.

"Lynn, what's with your ball bag?" Lincoln asks Lynn, getting into the conclusion that his sports-obsessed sister will bring it to the trip. "Don't tell me you are bringing this to the trip."

"No worries," Lynn replies, "That's not the problem. What I need help for is what ball must we first use for the trip?"

"What?" Lincoln answers back, surprised at her situation and given him more concern on Lynn's choice for baggage. "No. Lynn, you're bringing your whole ball set for our road trip. Don't think you think that occurs to you?"

"Not really." Lynn straightly answers.

Lincoln, annoyed, tries to settle matters to Lynn, "Look, it's either we get rid the ball bag or I will not be your training partner."

But Lynn tries to counter-argue Lincoln. "What? Lincoln, don't you understand? This season will be a lot of tryouts, and I have to at least perfect all ball sports."

"But don't you have enough experience in all ball sports?"

"I know. But I need the intense experience. Don't you know who will be trying out as well? Pros bro!"

Devising a way for Lynn to get rid of the ball bag, Lincoln addresses to the readers, "Well it's not unusual that I encounter issues like this. Here in the Loud house, you are truly bound to one another. And it is important to empathize with each other, to help solve each other's problems. That is why I would like to share you ' **Lincoln Loud's Eleven Commitments in the Loud House** '. I believe it applies to any family. But if not, hope you may find this relatable."

"Number One: **Decision-making**. For every plans you have, you have to only settle to one and drop the other. It's hard, yes, since all our plans have valid points. But might as well take a risk in one than risk of keeping two and heavy."

Unaware of his fourth-wall breaking, Lynn speculates who Lincoln is talking to. "Bro what are you doing?"

"Uhmm nothing." And with that ignorance out of the way, Lincoln lays down his proposal, "Okay, I get your point. But might I raise some concerns?"

"What sorta concerns?" Lynn answers back.

"Well, if you take practice during our trip, what if we may not find a suitable ground for practice? We might just end up in modern sites." Lincoln stresses.

"You do know we are stopping by at picnic grounds?" Lynn retorts.

But with confidence, Lincoln answers back, "Yeah, but if we lack time there and the only thing we do is eat, like you. Also, I heard that exhaustive effort for a momentary period meant for rest might be damaging to you body."

"What?" Lynn exclaims but questions Lincoln's remarks, "How sure are you?"

"Well, happens to me. Tried doing ultimate Frisbee for an entire Saturday, and I end up in a sleeping spree the week after that I missed two tests. True story."

"Wow, umm…poor thing." Lynn empathizes.

"I know. So I don't know if you can be wise on this case. You can bring your bag, crowd Vanzilla and tire yourself from volleyball spikes and basketball shoots, even though it's supposed to be vacation. Or you can focus on one ball, just rest your body little more and train with your fellow siblings." Lincoln explains.

And just by that, Lynn gets a little pressured that she blurts, "Ughh…fine. But what should I bring? Primary focus now is soccer but I am okay with it."

Lincoln then spots a ball with an appearance of a tennis ball. "Maybe this will do."

"Oh, that's a stress ball," Lynn says, "But I don't use a stress ball for sports."

"Wow, this ball has a likeness," Lincoln gets fond of squeezing the ball hard that, by its pressure, it bounces off from his hand and ricochets around Lynn's room (making both dodge it) till it hits Lincoln's eye.

"Oohh, kinda useful. This is definitely I need. Thanks Linc!" Lynn then sprints out of her room.

Lincoln then turns to us, the readers and says "Well, definitely that helped." After he says that, combustion is heard from the direction of Lisa's room. Lisa walks to Lincoln.

"Lincoln, would you be a trustworthy lab assistant and tell mother that I cannot commit to the holiday trip?" Lisa straightly says.

"What?! You can't back out now. Everyone is hyped for this trip." Lincoln counters Lisa's argument.

"Affirmative. But I cannot simply leave my daily observations of my acid-base titration experiment. One uneven concentration and no daily maintenance of the room temperature could translate to total household ignition." Lisa expounds.

Lincoln tries to pick up on Lisa's explanation. So, he answers back, "That would mean?"

"Without me here, the house will blow up." Lisa explains it in layman's terms.

"Ohh," Lincoln reacts. He then directs his contact back to the readers again, "Well, Lisa's situation brings up to our next Loud house commitment: **Understanding**. It is a cardinal rule to truly understand each other for you to compromise. Remember, Lisa's an intellectual. And if there's anything for her to get empathy, it would try scaling to her level of intellect." He then shifts his focus to Lisa, "Well Lisa. I am aware of how strenuous your experiments but can you mind for the fact that your experiments are already extremely hazardous?"

"I might take the option of disposing my laboratory paraphernalia for the occasion. But I won't bind on it. Besides, I need a scientific study to occupy my mind, in such case." Lisa defends.

Lincoln tries to come up with the first thing that comes to his head. "You can study our acid intakes during the trip."

"How does that apply?" Lisa asks but pauses as she receives a thought, "Wait, I can get outputs from occasional nutritional intake and metabolism schedule. Then, extract possible acid levels from the food you are eating. That could come close to hypothesis that human acid intakes could be weaponized," she ends evilly.

"Uhh what?" Lincoln has trouble interpreting Lisa's complex but hyperbolic explanation.

"Nothing. Well if you are waiting for a confirmation, I shall go to this engagement."

"Ohh, that's fascinating. That's final then. Glad we have this settled."

"And glad that you persuaded me."

Lincoln then exits Lisa's room to stumble on Lana chasing a frog and a pig.

"Lana, what the?" Lincoln exclaims.

"Sorry Linc. Gotta chase time," Lana says as she enters the bathroom to catch her messy pets. Lincoln follows suit.

"Lana, I thought you said Seymour is dead. And why you have a pig in your possession?" Lincoln questions Lana, as she hobbles the two animals by the bathtub.

"Oh, this is not Seymour," Lana says as she holds the frog up. "This is Aaron. And this pig is Hamilton. Hahaha. Get it?"

"Yeah, get the obvious punchline. How come you have them?"

"Got them a while ago at the town fair. Won them from mud wrestling. Planning to bring them along."

"What? You can't." Lincoln asserts.

"Aww why?! Lola gets to bring her dresses along." Lana defends as she points to Lola packing her luggage with her signature dresses she used in her beauty pageants.

"Gonna deal with that later." Lincoln responds, then he shifts our focus to us, "This goes to my third commitment: **Orderliness**. Living in a 'loud' house translates to a messy house. So it's a commitment to maintain its orderliness for stuff not to fall out of order, like presenting yourselves clean," he says it with pointing to Lana snuggling her new pets, emphasizing his point.

"Okay, here's the deal Lana. You can bring your pets and I can give them enclosures to be sure." Hearing that, Lana cheers. "But there's one catch: you have to take a bath now and pack your stuff."

"And if I don't?" Lana stresses.

"Then I will tell mom that you are keeping exotic pets." Lincoln counters Lana's assertion.

"Fine." Lana sighs. Just by then, she takes a bath, changes her clothes and packs her stuff evenly. "Very good, Lana" Lincoln praises. He then hands her his terrarium and a cage with a corresponding water tube. "Now that's over…" Lana replies, "Thanks Linc. But what about Lily," Lana then points out Lily walking around without her diaper.

"Ugh Lily!" Lincoln reacts. Just then. "Lincoln." Lucy appears suddenly between Lincoln and Lana. "Might I need assistance for a dear poem?"

"Lucy!" Lincoln remarks to Lucy's appearance. "Lana, can you do me a favor and get Lily for me please?"

"Sure Linc." Lana agrees to help Lincoln.

Lincoln then turns to Lucy. "Lucy can we have this meeting when we travel?"

"Can't. This deadline is about 30 minutes." Lucy retorts.

"Ughh," Lincoln groans. "Well, might as well bring you to the 4th commitment: **Listening**. It takes listening skills to understand each other. Lucy here is anxious of her poem getting published online. So, might as well assist her." Lincoln then shifts his focus to Lucy. "Well, what you've got?"

"Here. It is a haiku," Lucy then recites her poem:

 _A road to crumble_

 _For sights are sweets to the eyes_

 _Makes no man humble_

"You weren't talking about our trip, right?" Lincoln asks.

"Maybe. Maybe not." Lucy answers slyly.

Lincoln then raises an eyebrow. Lucy hesitantly defends, "I am just anxious what could be the perfect subject for my haiku. But what is more perfect than to live out the sorrows of being enclosed in a moving vehicle with no access to my inner comforts?"

Listening just what it takes for Lincoln to understand Lucy straightforward. He then replies, "Well, you can share your thoughts to us and we'll listen."

"Not sure I am comfortable with that," Lucy replies.

"Well you are comfortable sharing Lori your suggestion on how to handle about my bond with Bobby." Lincoln counters, to which Lucy take aback by.

"Point taken. But what must I submit?"

Lincoln tries to brainstorm in the quickest manner possible, for he has 41 minutes left in his sleeve before the whole family leaves. "How about this?"

 _Sacrifice from dark_

 _For one moment to see light_

 _On life I embark_

"Pretty straightforward but profound," Lucy takes Lincoln's suggestion by heart. "I might give it a shot. Thanks big brother." Lincoln thanks her with a pat on her head. "Anytime Luce." As he exits to Lola, Lucy smiles.

Lincoln then walks back to Lana and Lola's room to see Lola crying. "Lola, what happened?" Lincoln asks her, feeling sorry for whatever situation she has.

"I...can't...handle the comfort...away." Lola sobs.

"Well, what happened?" Lincoln tries to understand her situation.

"Mom doesn't want me to bring my dresses!" Lola scolds at Lincoln. "She says it's too heavy for the van."

"I know. But we can handle that." Lincoln, without other option, assures her.

"Yeah, like what?" Lola retorts.

"Well, isn't the direction where we going has a vast collection of dresses?" Lincoln counters Lola's hopelessness with a trigger of hope that their direction to Los Angeles will traverse to the Rockies, a region with a vast culture.

"What's the point?" Lola rebuffs Lincoln's assurance.

Lincoln then spots a book about the history of America's regional costumes and shows it to Lola. "Here. Look at the Native Americans and the settlers. And their dresses. They look pretty, don't they?" Lincoln tries to indulge Lola on the bright side of their own culture.

"Hmm, not so much interesting." Lola reacts. But what catches her attention is the history of fur-trading. "Oooh I like her coat."

"Really?" Lincoln reacts. He allows her interest to increase more. "Well, we can see a lot of fur clothing along the way."

Saying that excites Lola suddenly. "Yieeee! I cannot wait! Thanks Lincoln!" Lola expresses her gratitude, "I will just pack one dress and other adventure outfits."

Lincoln then looks back to the readers, "Well, that escalated quickly. But I am kind of bothered with the part that she grows fond of fur clothing." He then rebuffs it, "It will be fine. Well, Lola's case brings us to 5: **Novelty**. You need to have a wide collection of ideas to make some things work. It takes creativity and any out-of-the-box thingamajig to make effective plans in the house."

"Lincoln, need help. Lily's at it again." Lana calls out to Lincoln.

"Speaking of which, gotta go." Lincoln finishes to the readers and proceeds to Lana taking care of Lily.


	2. Chapter 2

**Right now for the second part of "Lincoln Loud's Eleven Commitments in the Loud House". Originally, this was supposed to be a two-parter. But the last bits were heavy material. So I decided to stretch this to three parts.**

 **And just to announce, either by Friday or Saturday, I shall release the second chapter for "The Thing from Upstairs". Due to the feedback I had received, I try to find some ground material for it. And after binge-watching** _ **Stranger Things**_ **, I opt to consider its footnotes for inspiration. There are more thrills to unravel for the storyline.**

Lincoln sprints to Lily's room as Lana alerts her brother. When they arrive, Lily goes stubborn, wailing and tapping her rattle by the cradle bars. The 15-month year old has been restless. In response, her 11-year –old brother tries to calm her down, but she keeps on crying.

"Lily, that's it. That's a good girl." Lincoln caresses her while Lily whimpers. "Come on Lily. Rest, little angel." As Lincoln continues to rock Lily to sleep, Lana cannot help but fall for how cute the imagery is.

"Aww…that's so precious," Lana replies. Lincoln agrees with a smile to his face, seeing Lily slowly descend into sleep. "Yeah," Lincoln comments, just as Lily soils her diapers, complete with mushy sound. "Great."

Knowing what's going to happen, Lana exits. "Uhmm I am just gonna leave you there…to take care…of that."

"Oh no Lana," Lincoln insists, "Help on change Lily's diaper or I will set your pets free. You wouldn't want a Hamilton-Burr duel."

"What?! No!" Lana pleads as she agrees, "Ughh fine."

"Just help me take out the diaper," Lincoln affirms to Lana as he opens up Lily's diaper, releasing a foul stench. "Ooohhh…revolting," Lincoln reacts to the rancidity of Lily's diaper. He wraps it immediately and has it get disposed by Lana. "Here."

""Uhmmm…guess this has a silver lining," Lana says, covering her nose.

"Yeah," Lincoln tells her. "And give me a spare diaper."

"Right where you are bro," Lana responds.

Lincoln then wipes Lily's bottom. Afterwards, he powders her cheeks, just as Lana gives Lincoln a spare diaper. The 11-year-old wraps the diaper and thinks of an outfit for Lily.

"What you think would be perfect for Lily?" Lincoln asks.

"I don't know. Mud?" Lana easily answers, leaving Lincoln at dismay.

"I mean what outfit?" Lincoln emphasizes.

"Oh. Don't know anything about baby outfits," Lana replies, then points to a particular outfit hanging by the cabinet handle. "But that teddy bear outfit looks neat."

Agreeing to dress her up on that outfit, Lincoln and Lana can only be mesmerized at Lily's cuteness. (The outfit is akin to her squirrel outfit in "Driving Miss Hazy".) Lily giggles as she feels the warmth in her outfit.

"Aww…" Lincoln and Lana react cutely.

"Okay Lana, you help our sisters pack. I'll just get my stuff," Lincoln tells her, to which Lana eagerly agrees, "You got it bro."

As Lincoln leaves Lily by her cradle, Lily cries out to Lincoln, trying to reach out her arms to him and doing puppy-dog eyes. To calm her down to sleep, Lincoln carries her again and rocks her to sleep. This time, Lily feels relieved that it slowly draws her to calmness. "Sweet Lily," Lincoln responds as he wraps Lily with her blanket.

Lincoln decides to relay the scenario to the readers, "You can see why Lily has to be looked after for a long time. Being a baby means she gets her security from us or from me in this case. So it is immediate that we will always be there for her. That's why you call **loyalty** , and that should land on 6 in our list of Lincoln Loud's Eleven Commitments in the Loud House."

As Lincoln walks away from Lily's room, carrying Lily with him, he sees Luna stomping to her room in anger and slamming her door. "Luna, stop. Can we talk about this?" Luan follows suit, trying to pacify her.

Lincoln proceeds to Luan, "Luan, what's up with Luna?" Luan then answers, "Well mom told Luna that she cannot listen to her headphones along the trip and she attempted to confiscate them."

"What?!" Lincoln is surprised at her case.

"I know. I tried to calm her down but couldn't."

Lincoln then faces the door of Luna and Luan's room and knocks three times. "Luna. Luna it's me, Lincoln. Luna, please answer."

Luna eventually answers through the door, "You're wasting your time, dude. Not going to the trip anyway."

"Luna, can we talk about this?" Lincoln pleads to the 15-year-old rocker, but she responds, "Now way bro."

Desperate, Lincoln thinks of using Lily as persuasion. "Luna, come on. Lily wants to see you." Luna has no other response but to groan. "Come on," Lincoln begs more. "Lily is excited to see you." The infant can only express in baby talk that she wants to see Luna.

The door suddenly opens. Luna sulkily invites Lincoln, Luan and Lily inside. They enter to see an upset Luna about to crouch to her bed in depression.

Lincoln tries to empathize with Luna's situation. He can only express the first words that come out from his mouth, "Look Luna, I know our parents can be unfair in some stuff."

"Yeah, right," Luna somberly counter-argues. "Do you know the feeling of having one of your precious belongings being swiped away by your mom? It's heavy stuff, man."

"Why did she want to swipe away your headphones?"

"She told I was stubborn to obey her because I have them on. Just that reason?"

Luna recalls to her siblings the times when she was in her headphones, listening to the best rock music available, especially those from her idol Mick Swagger. She had her headphones at home, in school, during travel and even on duty as a box office cashier. If someone calls out her most needed attention, she fails to answer back, especially to her mom. There are instances when their mom tires to call out her attention for perfectly good reasons (like doing the chores, asking of her day in school and helping out at carrying stuff.). This might have led for Mrs. Loud to get concerned and to take immediate action, special case in this trip.

"Now I just have to condemn myself, carrying the weight of the world in my shoulders."

Lincoln then faces to the readers and addresses his sentiments. "Well, this definitely goes to the seventh commitment, **obedience**. It sucks sometimes to have to listen to your parents but let's face it: they know the best for us, more than we do. This may seem hard to talk this down to Luna but I'll try."

He then faces his sister, "Look Luna, what mom made you do, before she took away your headphones?" Lincoln asks examining the situation.

Reluctantly, Luna replies, "She just asked me just one favor for the entire trip to just drop my headphones. I do want to but couldn't. You know bro, there's no point on minding this issue. I cannot stay foot without listening to rock and roll."

"I know it's hard, Luna. Just hear me out. But haven't you thought there might be a good reason why she swiped your headphones?"

Just the mention of that rather offbeat utterance makes Luna react sullenly, "What do you mean good reason?"

"Well, why did you think mom set up this road trip in the first place?" Lincoln continues to catechize, with Luna responding with a soft turn from her head. "To grab the opportunity to bond with us, right?"

Luna rolls her eyes with Lincoln's baseless defense but she still listens. "Okay, we are not yet at that point but you will see. I want to take this time to bond with my awesome rocker sister."

The 15-year-old rock music enthusiast can only sigh as a response. But still optimistic, Lincoln hums one known song and gets into mumble-singing.

 _Don't question why she needs to be so free  
She'll tell you it's the only way to be_

Lincoln continues, with his words now clear, even though he jitters while singing.

 _She just can't be chained  
To a life where nothing's gained  
And nothing's lost  
At such a cost_

As Luna hears Lincoln's singing (shocking even to her since she normally sings to him if he is in a bad mood), she cannot help but sing along.

 _Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday  
Who could hang a name on you?  
When you change with every new day  
Still I'm gonna miss you..._

Lincoln then hands over Luna her guitar. Luna finally gets down from her bunk bed, takes her guitar and strums to a jam of "Ruby Tuesday". Luan and Lily also sing along, even though they don't know the words to the song.

 _Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday  
Who could hang a name on you?  
When you change with every new day  
Still I'm gonna miss you..._

Feeling relieved, Luna thanks Lincoln with a hug. "Thanks bro for lifting my spirits high, again. But I don't know how to make it up to mom."

Just as their mood ripens, Mrs. Rita Loud unexpectedly enters the room with a solemn but caring aura. On her hand are Luna's headphones. "Luna, sweetie, I am sorry from what I did back there. I'm just trying to…"

Instead of finishing her, Luna hugs her. "I'm sorry mom for not listening to you. I promise I will make it up to you."

"Luna, you don't need to prove anything to me. I love you just the way you are. Just next time that I call you out, please help me out and respond."

"Don't worry mom. Promise. Next time."

"Well, now that's settled, here." Mrs. Loud hands back Luna's headphones. "Sorry I swiped them away from you. I am just at a stressful situation right now."

Luna is surprised at her mother's gesture, feeling thankful. "Thanks mom! But I will take these away, just for once." She then places her headphones in her bag. "I want to spend time with you guys." She returns another hug to her mother, who responds with another hug back. "Besides, who is up for a family sing along?" Luna exclaims excitedly, then continues to strum the chorus of "Ruby Tuesday."

Lincoln sighs in relief, knowing his work is done, and walks back to his room. He returns to the readers with his closing statement, "Well that's another problem solved. Truly families will help you out on your problems. Sure this is not a perfect family but we work each other out to make perfect moments, just like this."

Suddenly, Luan with Lily at her hand runs to Lincoln. "Lincoln, you forgot Lily?"

"Ohh, thanks Luan," Lincoln says.

"Hey, what do you think of this? 'Which car makes the corniest jokes?'"

"Errrr what?"

"A pickup truck. Hahaha." Lily laughs along jollily.

"Good but you could do a lot more than jokes, while we're on the road."

"What does the supposed to mean?" Luan asks with a raise on her eyebrow.

"I mean I am suggesting for you to do something else than jokes. I am sure there's a lot of comedic potential during our trip," Lincoln elaborates.

"Yeah, like what?"

"Uhmmm…" Lincoln stutters, trying to come up with a quick solution. Thinking of something related to road travel, he then remembers a road guide that he used to keep. Lincoln rushes to his room and picks it up.

"Why don't you get busy with reading this?" Lincoln hands over the book to Luan.

" _Cross-Country Road Trip Tourism_ … _for Dummies_. Now why would I want to read this?" Luan argues.

Then Lincoln comes up with an idea, then pitches it to her with some conviction, "Hey! Why don't you spot the sites for us? It's like doing 'I Spy'. Only you'll guide us. Like a tour guide. An entertainer."

"But I still get to drive the humor along in this trip? Hahaha. Get it?"

"Yeah, just without the pranks and with the Luan-ness we can all swallow."

"Okay let me start now. I spy a lovely winter grass," Luan throws a hint.

Lincoln tries to figure it out. "Uhh what is it?"

Luan then points on Lincoln's nose. "It's you silly."

Lincoln laughs along with his comedienne sister. "That's a good one."

"Well thanks Lincoln. Now I have a lot of material to look upon. Now where did I put my reading glasses?" Luan exits, then returns to her room.

Lincoln sighs in relief and returns to the readers. "Well, you gotta be creative at some point. And that goes to number 8: **creativity**. The best tool to make the best out of every situation. Here in the Loud house, we are all blessed with creative chops. So, we always get to pull any trick from our sleeves."

Just as he finishes, Lana runs frantically to Lincoln. "Lincoln, have you seen Hops? I was going to introduce him to Aaron."

"Nope. Haven't seen him in a while," Lincoln answers, "Have you checked him in your room?"

"I did," Lana adds, "But I can't find him."

Then suddenly, a croak can be heard from the staircase.

"Isn't that a…?" Lincoln reacts.

"Must be Hops!" Lana races to trace the croak. "Thanks Linc!"

Now out of that away, Lincoln walks back to Lily's room and returns her to her crib. As he walks to his room, Lincoln hears a groan of frustration from Lori and Leni's room. He checks it out to see Lenu turning the room upside down as she frenetically searches for a valuable item.

"Leni, what's going on?" Lincoln asks as he dodges the items that Leni is throwing. Leni doesn't hear him, being entirely occupied on digging through her stuff.

"Leni what's…?" Before Lincoln can finish, he gets hit by a boot. Lincoln's pain is enough for Leni to notice her brother.

"Ohh sorry, Lincoln. Did it hurt…bad?" Leni assesses Lincoln. Lincoln tries to cover the pain on his forehead. "It's okay Leni. Just a mild hit. What's going on here?"

"Oh, looking for my summer hat. What have you seen it?"

"No, not in awhile."

"Oh no. I really, really need it."

Lincoln also notices an unusual getup from his fashion-obsessed sister. "And that's strange. Why are you wearing dad's beanie?"

"Oh this?" Leni answers hesitantly about the beanie, especially strange for a roadtrip. "Just nothing. Just the newest trend." Knowing she is hiding something, Lincoln raises a suspecting look.

Leni shares nonetheless of her reason for the beanie, "Well if you know must, here." The 16-year-old blonde then takes of the headwear, revealing one part of her head bare like it was shaved.

Shocked, Lincoln asks, "Oh my?! What happened?"

"I think I must have put too much heat in my hair blower. It burnt my hair," Leni relays the events sullenly. Then she bursts into tears. "I feel like the end of the world."

Lincoln, always feeling sorry for the least invulnerable sister, kneads her shoulders and hugs to comfort her. All the while, he shares his sentiments to the readers.

"Well, this moves to the ninth commitment, necessity. A loved one in need, one has to take the lead. It is impossible not to need each other, especially if we have grave needs such as this. Well, even just a tiny grave need. So, we support each other to secure that need, whatever it is."

Hearing him, Leni asks, "Are you talking to me?"

Lincoln stammers for a response. Thus, Leni continues to emote.

"Why you need that hat so badly?"

Leni then discloses her story, "I really love that hat. I got it when I was the same size as Lisa. Me and mom were shopping at the mall. It was my first time. And so, she buyed this as a gift. And that started my love for fashion. With that hat, I get to wear it every vacation. I just…love it."

Understanding her story, Lincoln empathizes, "Don't worry. We'll find it when we get back. IN the meantime, let's try something…new on you."

Leni is shocked at Lincoln's suggestion, "Oh no! A new outfit? But Lincoln, there's so many to choose." This causes Lincoln to land a palm on his face.

"No, come here." Just as that, Lincoln pulls out an auburn handkerchief with paisley patterns and wraps it on her hair to form a bandana, covering her burnt part.

"There. How do you like it?" Lincoln then has Leni face a mirror to examine her getup.

"Uhmm I look a maidmilk with this. But it's kinda nice," Leni comments.

But Lincoln compliments, "Nice? You look amazing!"

"Really? But how's it going to replace my summer hat?"

"It doesn't need to. But you can good memories out of this bandana."

Just by Lincoln's assurance, Leni raises her spirits high. "You think so?" she asks, making Lincoln nod in agreement. Leni then hugs her brother in return.

With another work done, Lincoln walks out in relief. "Ahhh…now I can get back to my room and relax."

But out of nowhere, their dad calls them out, "Kids, 20 minutes left before we leave! Load your stuff now and get in the car, pronto!"

"Well, that's our distress call," Lincoln responds to the readers, sprinting to his room.

Suddenly Lynn calls him as she carries their bags, "Linc, need a muscle here!"

"Ohh right," Lincoln responds right away.

Along the way as they load their bags to Vanzilla's trunk, Lynn asks, "By the way, have you seen my bag of balls? I think I left it by the hall when you helped me."

"Nope, not really," Lincoln answers.

"Well, help me look for them before we leave, just to assure they are safe."

Both Lynn and Lincoln load their stuff to the trunk, with Lincoln organizing it precisely for more space.

Just as they return, Lola calls out to Lincoln, "Lincoln, have you seen my makeup kit?"

"Nope."

Then, Luan hands over a similar concern, "Yeah, and have you ever had the chance to spot my reading glasses?"

"Not really Luan."

Then, Lucy appears behind him, delivering another concern, "Brother, have you seen my Edgar Allan Poe collection? I need to browse them before our voyage."

"Haven't seen them in a while."

Then, Lisa approaches Lincoln. "Lincoln, would you be able to deduct where my nitroglycerin samples are?"

"Ahhhh, what now?"

And then, Lana returns to Lincoln with an update about Hops, "Linc, Hops is nowhere to be found." Just as Lana spouts her concern, the rest of the concerns of his sisters intertwine, making Lincoln unable to focus and causing him to calm them down. "Guys! Calm down. I know you have your concerns. Just help me out. We only have fifteen minutes. Load your stuff to the car and we can work this out before we leave, okay?"

Lincoln's sisters can only respond with hubbubs. "I take that as a 'yes'. Lynn, let's go."

Pushing Lincoln's plan, Luan, Lucy, Lana, Lola and Lisa drag their bags down. Lincoln and Lynn carry a chest, which might be presumed as dad's fishing equipment, odd for a holiday in LA. Just as Lynn and Lincoln return to the second floor, the attic staircase unexpectedly opens, hitting Lincoln in the head. Heeding his pain, Lincoln sees Hops hop away from the attic.

"Hops?" Lincoln reacts.

Just as Hops flees, Lori comes out from the attic and attempts to catch him. "You literally come back here amphibian!"

Hearing Lori, Lincoln then faces his sister, wondering what she is doing in the attic as everyone is preparing for the trip. "Lori?"

And with a guilt-ridden face, Lori pulls up the attic staircase and closes it, making Lincoln rush up to her.


	3. Chapter 3

Lynn Loud Sr. honks the horn of his car, announcing the immediacy for the family to leave. "People, we have only fourteen minutes left. We can't burn daylight! We cannot waste our two days travel!"

At his signal, the Loud children (sans Lincoln and Lori) pack their stuff, either in the back of the van or on the roof rack. As usual, some siblings fight for positions in the car.

"Hey, that's my spot!" Lana argues as she pushes her bag. "No, dear twin, it's mine!" Lola defends, pushing her bag. But as they fight, Lana spots her pet pig Hamilton and pet frog Aaron break out and chase each other inside. "Hamilton, Aaron Boar, sir!" Lana exclaims and chases them inside. With that advantage, Lola secures the position, "Mine!"

Lynn is trying to lift dad's chest to the rack but Lucy offers assistance. "Need help there, Lynn?" she asks.

"Nope, fine here Lucy. Just…pack…your stuff inside…" Lynn says as she tensely pushes the chest to the rack. However, the chest gets pulled to the rack. It turns out that Lucy popped to the roof, helping her sister loading the chest.

"You need help," Lucy says, making Lynn smile to her polar opposite of a sister, prompting Lucy to the same thing.

Luna and Mrs. Loud arrange some of their bags in the trunk to allow for more space. But with the bags stacked in one position, Mrs. Loud is having a hard time.

"Oh, Luna…" she asks Luna, but before she can finish, Luna offers assistance. "Got it mom!" she assures. By that, Luna strategically rearranges the stack and piles the lighter stuff above and the heavier stuff below.

"Phew, there mom," Luna says.

"Wow, I'm impressed. Thanks sweetie!" Mrs. Loud expresses gratitude to her daughter, and then asks for a favor, "Oh, by the way, I know it's weird to ask but can you do for us a packing-up music?"

At that request, Luna delights at her mom knowing her potential. "You got it mom!" For that, she pulls out her acoustic guitar and strums an acoustic rendition of "The Ballroom Blitz" by Sweet.

Lisa, having light luggage, tries to calculate the budget for the trip. "Now, if we allot $200 for our travel lodging, $150 for our travel belongings and another $150 for petroleum and possible toll fees, we can save up from our $750 budget," Lisa construes.

Luan overhears her and approaches to lay some travel advice, based on what she read so far. "But if we can find some cheap B&Bs, we can deduct costs from our lodging budget. I know because of this." Luan then shows the travelling book Lincoln gave her.

"Hmmm. I might need the assistance of a street-smart analyst of the turnpike. Enlighten me with your knowledge," Lisa asks, making Luan delighted. "That's a bright idea! Hehehe. Get it?" Luan jokes.

Leni places Lily in the baby seat. The toddler is pleased at Leni's new getup from her bandana. "Aww, Lily, you like my bandana?" Leni asks, making Lily giggle. For that, the blonde hands Lily a bonnet and wears it on her head. "There, this will look cute on you." The two enjoy their headwear with giggles.

Meanwhile, Lincoln checks Lori in the attic and sees her packing some belongings in one corner.

"Lori, what are you doing?" he asks.

"Well, none of your business. And aren't you supposed to be helping the others pack? I have my own situation here," Lori replies, trying to hide the stuff behind her. However, a soccer ball falls out of it and rolls to Lincoln's foot. He gets the ball, assuming it is Lynn's.

"Hey, this is Lynn's soccer ball," Lincoln confirms.

He budges Lori and checks out the other stuff that she is hiding. Lincoln begins to notice resemblances. "And this is Lola's makeup kit. And Luan's Groucho reading glasses. And this Lucy's Edgar Allan Poe books. Lisa's nitroglycerin bottles."

Lori tries to hide her motivations by providing a loophole explanation, "Well, I am just packing for them. Now, can you leave? I will bring them down."

Yet, Lincoln ignores Lori's pleas and digs down to their stuff and finds something essential that it shocks him. "And…Leni's summer hat." He gets it and confronts his eldest sister about it.

"Care to explain this," Lincoln interrogates and pulls out his phone, "Or I'll phone my bro Bobby to tell that his girlfriend is hiding stuff that does not belong to her."

Because of this, Lori forcefully puts his phone away and decides to explain. "Fine! I have been looking forward for this trip to Los Angeles for years. A luxury hotel suite we'll be staying. And I don't want it to get ruined in this year."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Don't you realize, Lincoln? I have to watch over you guys every year in our vacation. I have to prevent Lynn from rough-housing the villa last year. I have to fend off Lana's pets in one. I have to endure Luan's jokes. I have to push Luna away from those 'do not disturb' areas. And I have to stop Leni from being so super insecure about her getups. I just hate the way she flaunts her hat. That summer hat! It's not going to happen this year. I don't want to be responsible of all your battered antics."

"And to do that, you have to take away their stuff?"

"It's what you call disciplinary action, brother. I also stashed your Gameboy there. I will give it to you after the trip. And that is after the trip, so are the rest."

After that, Lori proceeds downstairs. Lincoln finds the burden of pointing out Lori's mistake since she is the eldest one. And being the eldest one is defined as the one with absolute authority. But he has to enforce her mistakes to her face. He looks to the readers and shares his thoughts.

"Might as well throw in the tenth commitment: **integrity**. We can't be really called a family if we don't have trust to each other. Sure, we lie behind our backs. But we tend to fix them since we don't want to break the value of trust. So, we might as well be honest, even if others cannot, even if others will not, and even if others do not. I value my family. I just hope Lori will do."

Lincoln then rushes in front of Lori and reasons to her.

"Look Lori, I get your reasons why you want to hide our stuff from us. But what benefit does it for you?"

Lori answers straightly, "Well, I get a whole spa accommodation. I get to enjoy the rooftop pool. And I get to have access to the eat-all-you-can diet buffet. Just pure bliss."

"And what benefit does it for our sisters?"

That question leaves Lori speechless. With that, Lincoln decides to continue. "Look, I'm saying that we need those stuff from above. I'm saying that you intended to take away our enjoyment, for the sake of your enjoyment."

"Woah bro, what a way to accuse me like that."

"What I need you to know is that this vacation is meant for us as a family. Sure, we rough-house, and you get annoyed by it. But cut off some slack. It's rare we get to bond as a family. I know I am a kid who needs to know better. But I am still a kid who wants to enjoy life."

As Lincoln finishes his monologue, Lana's pet pig Hamilton and pet frog Aaron run across them and make Lori trip. Lana catches up with them and sees Lori, "Lori, sorry about that," Lana apologizes as she offers a hand to Lori to get up. Realizing she is of good intentions, Lori takes Lana's hand as her younger sister gets her up in good shape. "I have to run. Need to catch Hamilton!" Lana says as she chases towards downstairs.

Lori and Lincoln catch up with Lana to the kitchen. He, Lynn and Lucy join in the chase, trying to catch the pig. Luna gets in with Hops and Aaron at her arms. "Hey Lana, got your pet frogs here. Where should I put them?" Luna asks, as she sees her siblings chasing Hamilton. "What's going on here?"

Lori, feeling left out, joins in the chase, gets the upper hand to Lana's pig, grabs it by the front limbs and clings on to it. "Here Lana. Here's your pig. Hold it by the limbs." After Lori grabs the pigs, the pig turns to her and licks her in the face. Lori tries to dodge but she ends up collapsing to the floor, with the pig clinging to her.

"Aww…Hamilton likes you!" Lana reacts at this cute scenario, with the other sisters following suit.

Lori pats the pig on the head. And at that moment, she realizes her mistake and confesses to them, "Guys, the stuff you were looking for are on the attic."

"You mean my bag of balls?" Lynn asks.

"Yes Lynn, like your bag of balls," Lori affirms.

"Ohh okay. Just like to know if it's safe," the 13-year-old athlete says.

Mr. Loud suddenly calls them, "Kids, five minutes left! We need to rush now!" At that signal, the siblings rush to van. However, Lori races back to the attic, gets Lola's makeup kit, Luan's reading glasses and Leni's summer hat, gets a change of shirt and speeds to the van. Lincoln, on the other hand, unplugs the appliances to ensure no electricity is wasted.

The Louds assemble at Vanzilla, making last minute preparations. Lori hands over the items she hid back to her sisters.

"Here Luan," Lori says as she hands her Groucho reading glasses. "Oh thanks sis!" Luan replies.

"Oh, Lola, your makeup kit is in the trunk, in case you need it," Lori says to Lola. "Well, I never thought of using it. But still, thanks!" Lola responds.

"And Leni, I'm sorry this. Here is your hat," Lori apologizes. Then, Leni retorts, "Ooh, thanks Lori. Actually, I feel fine with my bandana now. But this could be good for Lily." She takes of Lily's bonnet and puts her hat on Lily's hat, only to not fit. Still, the 15-month-old feels happy for it. The two can only react in an "Aww…"

Lori places a leash on Lana's pig Hamilton and carries it to the car. "Mom, dad, Lana wants to bring her pets. But don't fret. I will be responsible for them," she assures, needing of their permission.

Mr. Loud replies, "I do not if there would be a pets-allowed inn we can pass by. But sure, you're responsible for it, Lori. If it gets in trouble…"

"Don't worry. I can take care of it, like last time."

Afterwards, Mrs. Loud lays her response, "If you say so, sweetie. But you're accountable."

The Louds sit at their respective seats, with Lori, Lana, Lynn and Luna in the back row, Lucy, Luan, Lola and Lisa at the third row, Lily and Leni at the second, and of course, their parents at the front. Lincoln is the last one to exit the house and for that, he locks the door and gets to his seat with Lily and Leni.

"Are we good Lincoln?" Mr. Loud asks.

"A-okay dad! We're good to go!" Lincoln confirms with confidence.

"Okay, we need to stay in schedule to get our check-in in Los Angeles by 2:00 PM. We don't want to lose our reservation," the Loud patriarch says, "Here we go Louds!"

At their dad's gear shift, the Loud family is good to go. In unison, they exclaim, "Off to LA!"

Their travel is a smooth one, with a few traffic congestions and stop lights. They depart Royal Woods and enter the turnpike, a forested one at best, with a view of the Royal Woods' simple skyline and suburbs. Lincoln is fascinated at this view as it is an affirmation that he is able to manage his siblings at good hands.

"Just the moment I wanted. Travelling through the turnpike smoothly. For that, I need the perfect accompaniment," Lincoln says to the readers, reaching his hands to his bag. As it turns out, his bag is not beside him. Lincoln discovers this and tries to search his bag in the van floor. He dig to possible locations, to no avail. His sisters notice this.

"Lincoln, what's going on?" Lynn asks.

"Have you seen my bag?" Lincoln asks to Lynn, to which she answers, "I don't know."

"Could it be at the back?" Lisa hints, making Lincoln search at the back.

Mr. Lynn Loud Sr. notices this, "Lincoln, can you not block view? Need the back cleared."

Lincoln digs through their stuff, to no avail. However, the 11-year-old remembers the whereabouts of his bag and the rest of his belongings: in his room. At the strike of a memory, Lincoln rushes to his parents and alarms them, "Mom, dad! I left my stuff back home!"

"Sweetie, we got all the time to prepare. What made you leave your things?" Mrs. Loud asks.

"I was helping you guys pack for the trip," he answers.

"Oh, don't worry, honey. We'll buy your stuff, once we get to LA, or to a possible gas stop," she ensures.

"We'll be stopping by at a gas station with a diner in it. We can see if we can buy stuff for Lincoln, but depending on the budget," Mr. Loud adds.

"It's tight, dad," Lisa confirms that.

"Lincoln, it's okay. Lesson learned. But don't worry. We'll find a way," their mom empathizes and gives a pat to Lincoln's head. Still, Lincoln is in dismay. His sisters notice this, and decide to take action.

At the gas stop/diner, Lincoln gets down first and heads to an empty table, filling pity that the sacrifice he puts up to assist his family costs leaving his valuables behind. Though he feels it is a right and noble thing to do, Lincoln feels upset.

But out of nowhere, Luna strums a beat to him in an attempt to make him feel better, " _Hey Linc, don't make it bad. Take a sad song and make it better. Remember to let her into your heart. Then you can start to make it better._ "

"Thanks Luna, but I don't think it's enough," Lincoln says in dismay.

But then, Lori joins in, " _Hey Linc, don't be afraid. You were made to go out and get her. The minute you let her under your skin. Then you begin to make it better."_

"I don't think 'Hey Jude' helps in this scenario."

The jam continues, with Leni, Lily, Luan, Lucy and Lisa joining in.

 _And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain  
Don't carry the world upon your shoulders  
For well you know that it's a fool who plays it cool  
By making his world a little colder_

 _Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah_

Lola then enters with a plate of bacon and pancakes and gives it to Lincoln. Lana enters as well, having bought a book compilation of Ace Savvy comics from the convenience store. Lynn gets into the jam, giving Lincoln an identical shirt and undies. "For you Lincy!" they exclaim.

 _Hey Jude, don't make it bad  
Take a sad song and make it better  
Remember to let her under your skin  
Then you'll begin to make it better  
Better, better, better, better... Oh!_

Lincoln then joins in the sing-along in the " _Oh!_ " Part, proceeding to an endless _"Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah, hey Jude"_

"Thanks guys! I never expected this so much from you!" Lincoln expresses his gratitude.

"Well, you helped us. Why wouldn't we help you?" Lori replies.

"Like always, we'll be there for you bro," Luna adds.

"All of us!" the sisters assure in unison.

"Thanks guys!" Lincoln says as hugs them all, "Wouldn't trade anything for the world!" At that moment of bliss, it is all joy that the Loud siblings can feel.

Then suddenly, "Kids, we gotta go!" Mr. Loud calls them.

"Uhmm Linc, you better finish those pancakes," Lola reminds.

"Let's finish it together!" Lincoln initiates, prompting his sisters to celebrate and chow down the plate of bacon and pancakes. Afterwards, they all board the Vanzilla and set course for Los Angeles.

Night falls, and Lincoln (reading the comics that Lana gave to him) and Mr. Loud are the only ones awake, while the rest are sleeping. He looks at the back to his sisters fast asleep. He can only feel relief and decides to close the day with a final statement to the readers.

"Well, don't need to explain what happened. That's the last of the commitments, and the most important one, **love**. No matter what, we're still family, and we love each other unconditionally. And there you go, the Eleven Commitments in the Loud House: _**decision-making**_ , _**understanding**_ , _**o**_ _ **rderliness**_ , _**l**_ _ **istening**_ , _**n**_ _ **ovelty**_ , _**loyalty**_ , _**o**_ _ **bedience**_ , _**c**_ _ **reativity**_ , _**n**_ _ **ecessity**_ , _**i**_ _ **ntegrity**_ , and lastly, _**l**_ _ **ove**_ **.** (LINCOLN LOUD)Hey, it resembles my name! Coincidence you call it, but I call it my commitments. Well, there you go. We can all enjoy now our trip to LA. Hope you guys can get from this. In advance, you're welcome! This is Lincoln Loud, signing off."

 _The End_


End file.
